East Carolina Football Coach Delivers Scholarship to Walk-On’s Mom for Mother’s Day (Video)

College football teams in the NCAA’s D-I “Football Bowl Subdivision” are allowed to grant 85 full scholarships every year. However, as programs fill up their rosters each season, they often have a few scholarships spots left over. And in recent years it’s become popular for programs to surprise hardworking walk-on players with scholarships as a reward for their dedication and perseverance.

Naturally, teams like to record the exact moment when a player is told he’s getting a scholarship, because this stuff is social media gold. However, this year the East Carolina Pirates are putting a new spin on this tradition.

Normally these videos don’t start coming out until July and August, when practices are in full swing. However, ECU coach Scottie Montgomery knew he wanted to give a scholarship to walk-on senior Kiante Anderson. And since Kiante is always talking about how much he loves his mother, and how much he respects the sacrifices she has made for him, coach Montgomery decided to deliver the scholarship papers to her as a Mother’s Day present. So he went to South Greenville Elementary School, where Kiante’s mom works, and surprised her.